CA to map out and issue digital addresses

By Ronald Owili

Plans by the Communications Authority (CA) to map out and give digital addresses to homes, businesses or streets has been given a further boost with the inauguration of a 70 member steering committee to look into how the National Addressing System will be implemented through a standardized policy.

Director General Francis Wangusi says the Communications Authority has come up with a more cost efficient model of implementing the addressing system to enhance the growth of e-commerce.

Previous studies showed that the mapping process required about 120 billion shillings.

Kenya now seeks to maximize e-commerce potential through the national addressing system.

Data from the universal postal union indicates that transaction of business to citizen is now valued at 1.2 trillion dollars while business to business is 15 trillion dollars.

Plans to establish the national addressing system has been delayed since 2010 due to its high cost of implementation requiring up to 120 billion shillings.

Further the authority has established a 70-member multi-stakeholder committee to drive the development of a standardized policy to be adopted by counties and private entities who already begun addressing the locations which the communications authority says will compliment mapping tools such a Google map.

Already, CA is in the process of appointing a consultant to develop the standards and guidelines.